1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for selecting a cover material for use as a cover of a vehicle seat component.
2. Background Art
Vehicle seats for use with a motor vehicle typically include a foam core covered by a seat cover. The seat cover may include an outer layer made of such materials as fabric, vinyl, or leather, and one or more other layers, such as a foam sheet and/or a scrim layer attached to the outer layer. Furthermore, the seat cover may be divided into a number of panels that are sewn together, or otherwise joined together, to form a desired shape.
Frequently, the materials to be used for the seat cover are selected at an early stage in the vehicle seat development process. For example, such materials may be selected prior to determination of the final contour of the vehicle seat. As a result, processability issues related to the seat cover may arise during the vehicle seat manufacturing process. For example, it may be discovered that the materials selected for the seat cover are not able to conform to the final contour of the vehicle seat without excessively wrinkling.
The present invention provides a method for determining processability and, therefore, usability of a cover material as a cover for a vehicle seat component based on a fabric stretch requirement for the vehicle seat component. As a result, potential cover materials can be screened at early stages of a vehicle seat program, and a suitable cover material can be effectively selected.
Under the invention, a method for determining usability of a cover material as a cover of a vehicle seat component includes determining a fabric stretch requirement for the vehicle seat component; determining actual fabric stretch of the cover material; and comparing the actual fabric stretch with the fabric stretch requirement to determine whether the cover material is satisfactory for use with the vehicle seat as the cover.
Determining a fabric stretch requirement may include determining a machine direction fabric stretch requirement, a cross-machine direction fabric stretch requirement, and/or a diagonal fabric stretch requirement. Furthermore, determining actual fabric stretch of the cover material may include determining actual machine direction fabric stretch, actual cross-machine direction fabric stretch, and/or actual diagonal fabric stretch.
The method may further include determining a component contour classification of the vehicle seat component, and/or thickness of a foam sheet, if any, of the cover material. The step of determining a fabric stretch requirement may then include determining the fabric stretch requirement based on the component contour classification and/or the foam sheet thickness. Advantageously, fabric stretch requirements may be provided in a look-up table that references component contour classification and/or foam sheet thickness.